The purpose of this document is to address some of the issues coordinators and data owners face when distributing instruments through Qualtrics. In particular, user data needs to be manually validated by coordinators when identifying information is entered by participants. The issue here is that participants might not know where to find their PIDN, and if they do, they may still make mistakes. The same can be said for participant’s names. We all make speeling spelling errors.

Another topic I’ll cover here is how to automate instrument distribution. Instead of sending out a link to a group of participants, waiting for them to respond, and then sending out anther batch of instruments, we’ll create a procedure in Qualtrics that distributes tasks automatically upon task completion.

This document aims to cover two related topics:

2 Automate sequential Qualtrics instrument distribution

  • This will begin from the assumption that you have multiple instruments already set up and have a list of contacts with name, email, and PIDN imported into Qualtrics

2.2 Go to the projects page

2.3 Select the first instrument being sent out

We’re going to set up a trigger that sends out the next instrument upon completion of this one

2.4 Go to workflows within project

Warning: Make sure this project and the project being sent out after this project are published

2.5 Create workflow

2.5.1 Select create a workflow

2.5.2 Select Start when event is received

2.5.3 Build on survey event

2.5.4 Survey response options

2.5.5 Add condition

2.5.6 Set condition options

2.5.7 Add task

2.5.8 Select task type

2.5.9 Add contact/Distribute survey

2.5.10 Distribution options



Select the contact list you’ll be using

This is the one we created in the previous step



Use the data we imported into the contact list



Do the same fore first name, last name, email, and external data reference



Select which survery you want sent out after this first one is completed



Set the rest of the fields and load in a saved message. You can also create a new one.



Here’s how to create a new email with the participant’s name inserted into the email

This line extracts the name(s) from the contact list



Here’s where to access that info:



Save the email

You can also automate reminders, but I’m not going to cover that here.

2.5.11 Save and name the workflow

2.7 Distribute instrument

2.7.1 Go to distributions tab

2.7.2 Select to send survey via email

2.7.3 Select participants to send instrument to

From the contact list we built, you can either send instrument to individual participants or to the whole contact list

2.7.4 Modify sender info and reply info in email

From here, you can modify the email to be sent from a specific address other than yours and control who receives email responses.

2.7.5 Address the participant and compose email

Include your signature in the email you’re sending out, incuding the UCSF picture

You can address the participant by name using the contact info we uploaded

This will address each participant by their name even if you’ve selected to send to multiple participants



To access the contact info, go here

2.7.6 Send email

You can send now or send with a specified delay

2.8 What the participant sees

I set up a trigger on the first survey to send out the second survery and set up a trigger on the second to send out the third survery



First survey was completed, now the participant will receive the second survey



Second survey complete - second trigger sends out the third survey

2.9 Notes

2.9.1 If you send a participant from the contact list a survey and send the same survey out to the entire contact list, they won’t receive a new copy

This might not prevent a survey from reaching someone that was sent a survey before their info was included in the contact list

2.9.2 Trigger wont send unpublished surveys

Make sure the surveys you’re using triggers to send out are published